Supply issues in Heber City sewer project causing delays

Photo: Center Street at the intersection of 100 East will be closed for construction beginning 8/19. Photo: Townlift

HEBER CITY, Utah – Heber City has recently started replacing sewer and water lines throughout the downtown area, and the multi-year project includes excavation and road closures. Parts of 100 East street have been closed beginning in June, and now Center Street at the intersection of 100 East will be closed for a week, beginning August 19th.

The sewer line going through the Center Street and 100 East intersection is being replaced, and excavation will be done. The closure is expected to take a week, ending on August 26th. All excavated areas will be securely filled at the end of each daily shift. Construction throughout 100 East street is still on schedule and still expected to be completed and repaved by September of this year.

The main sewer and water pipelines are completed and installed on 100 East down to Center Street. Construction has already started on sewer and water lines on 100 East south of Center Street. Approximately 50% of water pipes have been completed on 100 East.

While work on 100 East is progressing rather smoothly, the Heber City Engineering Department is expecting some delay on the project, specifically on 200 and 300 South street. Initially expected to be completed by the end of this year, 200 and 300 South are now expected to be finished and repaved by the Spring of 2023.

Construction will be performed on 200 and 300 South during Winter to make up for lost time. Heber City cites ‘supply issues’ as the reason for the delay.

“It’s kind of an all of the above supply issue. When you combine the rapid growth of the area, demand is high, and all the projects going on, we’re finding that concrete, in particular pre-cast concrete, which is what you need for those manholes, is becoming hard to find,” said the projects’ Public Information Officer, Jeff Putzke.

Pre-cast concrete is used as a base layer in manholes, before pipes are laid and fitted. Some manholes on 100 East street are up to 25-30 feet deep, as the sewer is all gravity fed. Contractors have recently been using ready-mix concrete instead of pre-cast, but have been having issues with a consistent supply of that as well.

In addition to concrete shortages, Putzke also mentioned that there have been shortages in iron fittings and manholes. “There’s iron fittings, and iron is hard to come by,” said Putzke, “it’s coming from foreign countries… and the specific size iron manholes and fittings we need are not being produced in mass scale like they used to and they’re being utilized in so many different places.”

In good news, the deepest and most important part of the project, the 100 East leg, is still on schedule to be completed and repaved by September of this year. According to Putzke, “everything after that (the completion of 1oo East street) goes by a lot quicker.” To combat the delays on 200 and 300 South, construction will be done throughout the winter months.

In a show of gratitude for residents directly affected by the ongoing construction, the contractors of the project, BHI Co., are throwing a community appreciation luncheon, from 12-2 p.m., on Tuesday, August 23rd. The event will be held at Heber City’s main street park, and folks are welcome to enjoy a free lunch.

For more project updates or information, refer to the Heber Project website.